


Haunted

by Kanin0



Category: Everyman HYBRID, TribeTwelve
Genre: AUs, Alternate Dimensions, Angst and Humor, Character Death, Corruption, Haunted AU Noah Maxwell, M/M, Mental Institutions, Possession, character insanity, haunted au, ressurection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-14
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2018-08-22 10:14:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8282249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kanin0/pseuds/Kanin0
Summary: HABIT loses someone. Someone he needed.Now he has to find another to work alongside him. But he didn't expect feelings to get involved.Especially feelings for such a stubborn bastard.





	1. Storm

It was storming outside.

Wind made the trees sway and lose many leaves, and the heavy rain practically flooded the entire streets. The streetlights flickered, and most areas had lost power by this point. Today was the perfect day for someone to turn up dead in their house. And that was exactly what happened.

When Noah woke up in the early morning, he was immediately greeted with a news article on his phone, telling him of horrible news.

Vincent Cafferello, better known as Vinny Everyman, was found dead in his house.

Noah almost fainted at the news. Yes, Noah was stubborn, but he still expected that Vinny would last longer than the rest of them. He was good at surviving, or so it had seemed.  
He had been found in his living room, dead and holding a pistol. Police reports said that it was suicide. It had to have been something else, Noah thought. Vinny just wasn't the type.

Almost an hour after he read the news, the storm started.

It was a little storm at first, but now it has become something more like a hurricane.

Dark storm clouds loomed over the entire state of Florida, it seemed. In fact, huge storms were crashing all over the coasts of the U.S. It was almost as if the Gods were angry...

Noah was sitting in his room, on his computer. He was answering questions that he had received on Ask.FM. It was easier than thinking. He didn't want to think right now. Yes, he was tired, but he didn't want to sleep.

What was going to happen now? He felt empty and hollow. Like a ghost, almost. As he absent-mindedly answered the questions, he felt a strange, cold feeling running down his spine. He didn't think anything of it though. He just laid low, breathing heavily. Why did the people he knew the least have the biggest impact on him? Vinny, Mary Asher... They had a bigger impact on him than they should have.

Vinny. He hardly knew him. Mary. She was horrible. And yet... it hurt him so bad when he woke to find them gone.

And so, he sat in bed, procrastinating yet again.

Was death Vinny's purpose all along? Was that what was planned for him the whole time? Just to go through all of this, and die? And if it was, did that mean his purpose was to die, too? Was that what he was destined to do in the end? Just die?

He wanted to change his role, his destiny... And his purpose. He envied those who had the power to fight, even if it wasn't much. He envied those who had the ability to fight back.

He wanted to fight back.

Thunder shook the entire house, and Noah shuddered. He despised thunder. Feared it, even. He shook slightly, and hugged a pillow in one of his arms nervously. He closed his computer, and sat in complete darkness.

The thunder shook again, and he huddled up close to the pillow he was holding, laying his head on it a little. He sighed, wanting the storm to end. Maybe he should have thought about that before letting his parents move them to the storm capital of the United States.

He missed Harrisburg, although he hasn't lived there since 14.

Noah turned the light in his room on, and looked at his door. He would go to the kitchen, maybe. Get something to eat.

He got up and walked over to the door. 

Impulsively opening it and stepping through, he stepped through the door.

However, he was not in a hallway.


	2. Hallway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah takes a field trip.

The cold, open air surrounded Noah. He looked around, suddenly realizing that he was in New Jersey.

He gasped loudly. How...? He recognized the place as Princeton. He looked around. In fact, he could even see Vinnys old house in the distance.

He thought for a moment, before quickly sprinting in the direction of Vinny's house.

But No matter how much he ran, he never seemed to get closer. He felt a sickening wave of dread run all through his body. Turning around, he saw Evan's house, right behind him. Normally it wouldn't be there, but this was not normal. Somehow, deep down, Noah knew that whoever was doing this to him wanted him to go to Evans house...

He sighed, clearly not wanting to, but off he went in its direction anyways.

He carefully walked into the front yard of Evans house, and he could smell dampness and rust not far away. Typical.

The lights of his house were on, and Noah trembled with fear. Was he supposed to go inside?

 _'Nope.'_  Noah thought, turning around and sprinting back towards Vinnys house. 

Suddenly, he heard laughter from all around him. His eyes darted around frantically, taking in the surroundings the best he could. 

"Heh. You're a pretty good observer, eh, Maxwell?" 

Noahs body stopped. He turned around slowly, back towards Evans house, and saw none other than...

"HABIT?" Noah asked, panicked.

HABIT laughed. "Who else?"

Noah backed away, panicked. "W-What could you possibly want now?!" 

HABIT frowned suddenly, and Noah immediately felt like he chose the wrong words to say. "Noah." HABIT said finally. "Vinny is dead. You think I can do everything on my own?"

Noah blinked a few times, before saying honestly, "Uh, I always assumed you could, yeah."

HABIT scoffed. "I appreciate the compliment, but you're wrong. I always have a... Partner, of sorts. Vinny was for a long time, but now.."

Noah sighed. "What does this have to do with me?" HABIT smiled again. "It has everything to do with you. See, I want to make some sort of... Agreement, with you."

Noah paused. Agreement? What did that mean...?  
He looked at HABIT with increasing curiosity, and as he stared into the dead eyes of the demon in front of him, he found himself responding. "What kind of agreement?" 

HABIT smiled wider. "Now, you need, and  _want_ the journal, right?" 

Noah sighed. "I'd kill for that damn thing."

HABITs smile was practically inhuman. "Oh really? Well, riddle me this, Maxwell. If I help you get this journal, would you help  _me_ with my plan?" 

Noahs eyes widened. "W-what?"

HABIT laughed, and continued. "We want the same thing, Maxwell."

Noah blinked a few times. "We do?" HABIT laughed. "Yes. We want the Tall Man, and his slithery minions, dead. Imagine if you had the journals knowledge, and my knowledge. Dont'cha think that would solve things a bit  _faster?"_

Noah blinked. "I guess... But what's in it for you?"

HABIT cocked an eyebrow. "Good question. A question I have an answer to." HABIT leaned close, and spoke in his ear quietly.

"Because, you are important to them. If you were able to fight against them, they'd have no way to stop you."

Noah shivered, and thought for a second before responding. "And you want something to fight against them."

HABIT chuckled. "You catch on quickly. Yes, I do want something that can fight. And yes, I am aware already that you cannot do that as of right now, but, see, I can teach you how."

Noah couldnt help but think about it more than he should have. Him, Noah, with power. The ability to fight, and win. 

He felt his hand clench and unclench, practically feeling revenge running through his veins. Thats what he wanted. He wanted revenge, plain and simple. And he realized now, that HABIT could give it to him. 

HABIT noticed the sudden mood change, and he chuckled again. "Yeah, you like the idea of that, Maxwell? Thats what you want after all. Revenge."

Noah twitched at the mere mention of the word 'revenge', and HABIT snapped his fingers. "Now, it's quite simple. You help me, I help you. It's nothing deep." 

Noah thought, and he wondered what HABIT would make him do to get his hands on victory. But in the heat of the moment, Noah hardly even thought about it. "So," HABIT said. "What do ya say, Rabbit?"

Noah sighed, and after contemplating about it for another few moments, he finally mumbled, "Fine."

HABITs smile had never been wider. "Wonderful."

Then everything went dark.


	3. Day One

Noah slowly felt his body come back into consciousness. He felt as if he was in a bed, and he could feel a slight breeze hitting his face. After a few moments of letting his numb body regain itself, he opened his eyes.

 

He was in a room, and right above him was a ceiling fan, moving slowly. He could faintly hear the ticking of a small clock from somewhere in the room, and there was a little bit of natural light. When he sat up, he saw that the light was coming from a window that was cracked open a little. Surprisingly, he saw no morning light, but instead there was a hazy, orange twilight, glittering outside with many shades of warm colors.

 

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, and slowly got himself out of bed. As he walked towards the door, he slowly remembered what had happened. Noah quickly looked around. Was this HABITs house?

 

He left the room, and he found himself in a hallway with a few doors on each side. He could faintly hear music coming from what must have been a downstairs level. Noah sighed, and walked down the hallway. He was met with a turn and a stairway down to.. The table. The table he had sat at with HABIT about a year ago. There was HABIT, seemingly oblivious to Noahs presence. The music was coming from an iPod that was plugged in, and HABIT himself was merely staring into space.

 

Noah walked down the steps as quietly and slowly as possible, and when he reached the very last step, HABITs eyes flickered over to Noahs location. Suddenly, HABIT was out of his chair, looking at Noah with his arms stretched out as he commonly did. “Look who’s finally awake, yeah?”

 

Noah didn’t respond, so HABIT changed the subject. “C’mon, sit down.”

Noah hesitantly did so, remembering that he had agreed to this on his own. HABIT smiled wide when Noah listened the first time he told him to, and he sat across from Noah, like he did last time. But this ‘meeting’ felt different, because Noah was probably going to be here for a very, very long time, and now he was under HABITs wing. He couldn’t decide whether that was good or not.

 

“So, Noah..” HABIT began, “How was your little _nap_?”

Noah stuttered quietly, “U-uh.. It was.. Nice?”

 

HABIT laughed. “Yeah, you don’t sleep much, do ya? Well, you’re gonna need it more than ever now, so I did you a favor and gave you a bit of a headstart.”

 

Noah stared at him. “How long was I out?”

 

HABIT laughed, and moved his hands in a tipsy motion. “Give or take about 2 days.”

Noah gasped. “ _Two days_?!”

 

HABIT nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! You _really_ seemed to need it. I was supposed to wake you an hour after I, uh, put you to sleep, but I figured that you should sleep for once, eh?”

 

Noah paused, before nodding. “I guess so, yeah…”

 

HABIT seemed to stare at him for a moment, as if he was trying to read Noahs mind. After a few moments, he got back up, clapping his hands once and striding into another room. After a few moments, he heard HABIT call out, “Well, c’mon, kid!”

 

Noah got up hastily and followed HABIT into the other room. He saw that they were now in the living room, and HABIT was standing over a small table with all sorts of weapons on it. Knives, machetes, hell, even chainsaws. HABIT motioned for Noah to come over to the table, and Noah did so, although with a bit of hesitance.

 

When Noah went over, HABIT, who was across from him, opened up and spread his arms out, motioning to all the weapons. “Pick one.”

 

Noah shook, but bit his lip and resisted asking HABIT “why?”. He knew HABIT hated that question, so he didn’t respond at all. Instead, his eyes flicked over the weapons nervously, while he could feel HABITs eyes on him, as if he was being judged by what he picked.

 

His eyes finally landed on a particular weapon. A baseball bat, with a blade protruding through one side, while the leather handle of the knife was stuck on the other side, unable to pierce the rest of the way through. Noah let his hand slowly reach out, and grasp the wooden bat by the grip. He shakily held it, and slid the bad over to his side. He was hesitant, as HABIT didn’t say anything, but after a moment, Noah looked up at HABIT.

 

HABIT was smiling curiously. “Interesting choice, Maxwell.”

 

HABIT then strode over to the back door, and opened it, before gesturing for Noah to follow him. Noah did, carefully holding his knife-bat in his left hand. HABIT started walking into the forest, and Noah had to practically jog to keep up.

 

After what had to have been miles of walking, they finally came to a clearing, and HABIT stopped. He turned around, and faced Noah, who suddenly got a very, very bad feeling rise into his chest. HABIT drew his own knife, and suddenly, Noah braced himself, holding his own weapon up in defense and tensing up. HABIT smiled, and Noah bent his knees slightly and held the bat tighter, locking eyes with the demon as a way of saying ‘fight me’.

 

HABIT laughed. “You’re better with weapons than I thought, it seems!”

He seemed to tense up as well, holding his knife in an ‘about to fight’ pose, and smiling maliciously. “Alright, Noah.” HABIT said, his voice getting slightly layered. “Come at me.”

 

Noah flexed his muscles, and, although he was terrified, he sighed and started approaching HABIT. HABIT watched as Noah twirled the bat slightly, with the protruding knife hitting his foot gently every now and then. Just as Noah was about to get close enough to HABIT, he suddenly jumped to the side of HABIT and swung the bat as hard as he could.

 

HABIT smirked, and grabbed the bat just below the knife. He didn’t strike Noah with his knife, but he smirked as he looked at the curly haired man. “Not bad. Fast, but you definitely need to get stronger.”

 

He let go of the bat, and he motioned for Noah to stand near where he had been before. Noah went over to the spot, shaking harder than he ever had before, and turned back towards HABIT. HABIT twirled his gleaming knife, and smirked. “Alright. Let’s see how you are with.. defense.”

 

Noah immediately braced himself, terrified, and before Noah could comprehend it, HABIT was walking towards him. Noah tensed up, and watched carefully as HABIT walked closer.

 

When HABIT reached a hittable range, he swung his knife diagonally, but surprisingly, Noah was tense and quick enough to block it. Well, he was quick enough to block it the first time, but he didn’t expect HABIT to suddenly pull his knife back and swing again, higher up. The knife swiped against Noahs cheek, and Noah wasted no time after that to swing his bat impulsively once he felt the pain. It hit the knife, and the knife was forcefully ejected from HABITs hand, and it landed a few feet to the left of them.

 

HABIT was frozen for a moment, turning to stare at Noah blankly for a split second, before breaking out into laughter.

 

“Good, good one, Maxwell!” He said, clapping his hands a few times. Noah couldn’t tell if it was sarcasm or not. HABIT strode over to his knife, picked it up, and walked back to his spot. “We’re gonna be at this for a while.”

 

And they were at it for a long time, with HABIT being able to cut Noah in different places, most noticeably his cheek and around his arms, and Noah actually managed to hit HABIT once or twice, although the knife hadn’t actually been able to pierce HABIT.

 

Finally, during one of their last matches, when it was completely pitch black outside, and it had been many, many hours, HABIT hit Noah hard enough for Noah to get the air knocked out of him. Noah stumbled back and finally fell onto the dirt ground, completely exhausted.

 

HABIT approached Noahs body, and noticed that he was panting and sweating like crazy. He still held his bat loosely in one hand.

HABIT smiled quietly. Yes, Noah needed a lot of work, but he certainly had passion, and therefore.. potential.

 

Noah didn’t struggle when HABIT ended up helping him up, and they both began walking out of the forest with their weapons in hand. Noah was practically limping, and HABIT watched him shuffle and limp slightly with curiosity. Someone like Vinny would probably pass out at this point, but Noah.. He was determined. He wasn’t all that strong (yet) but he had stubbornness and willpower. HABIT could definitely use it.

 

Noah ended up walking all five miles back to HABITs house, and when Noah reached the door he weakly opened it. As soon as Noah was in, HABIT motioned for HABIT to give him the bat, and Noah did without any hesitance. HABIT could not believe Noah wasn’t yelling at him, or at least complaining. HABIT turned to Noah, who was practically ready to pass out, and said “Take a shower and get some rest. It’s not like i’m making tomorrow any easier. Noah nodded quietly, and stumbled up the stairs, disappearing from HABITs sight.

 

HABIT plopped himself down onto the couch, and starting thinking to himself. Noah.. He was a strange one. He was being… Obedient? Even though Noah was practically famous for being stubborn in his realm, he was listening to HABIT.

 

Noah seemed to be incredibly fast and agile, but lacked in strength.

He was the opposite of Vinny, who was very strong but slower than a snail.

 

HABIT heard the water running in the bathroom, and HABIT knew Noah was taking a shower like HABIT told him to. HABIT had fully expected Noah to pass out as soon as he saw his bed. Sure enough, a few minutes later when Noah emerged from the bathroom, he went straight to him room. HABIT heard a second worth of creaking on the bed, and then all was silent.

 

HABIT couldn’t help but get up, and go check on him. He walked up the steps quietly, and then walked down the hallway into Noahs room. When he went in, he saw that the lights weren’t even off, and Noah was sprawled out on the bed, with the covers not even over him. Noah must have passed out entirely. HABIT approached Noah, and pulled the covers out from under him, before placing them over Noah lazily. He was about to flick the light off and leave, but then he noticed something.

 

The cut on Noahs cheek was gone.

 

HABIT, puzzled, examined Noah closely. The rest of the cuts seemed to be healing rapidly as well, and the one on his cheek was already gone. HABIT was baffled by this. He didn’t know what it meant in the slightest, but he didn’t care all that much.

 

 

He turned around, flicked the light off, and closed the door, letting Noah finally rest.


	4. Strengths

The next day came quickly for Noah, but he didn't wake until around noon, still exhausted from yesterdays fighting.

He yawned a little, before stretching his cramped limbs and getting out of bed. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and switched into casual clothes. He made sure not to wear anything he valued, since he would probably tear his clothes from his and HABITs practice.

He was caught by surprise when he realized that he was already somewhat used to the house he would temporarily be living in, and, even more shockingly, he was getting used to the demon that resided in the house. He felt bad, knowing that HABIT had hurt many people. He shouldn't trust him, not even a little!

But he did. 

 

When Noah was done getting dressed, he used his hands to straighten his hair a little before heading out of his room. He headed down the hallway, the the stairs, and he looked around for HABIT.

HABIT wasn't there, to Noahs surprise. He looked around, confused and nervous, until he saw a small piece of paper out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards it, and headed over to the table it was placed on.

HABITs scribbly writing was all over the small, creased piece of paper. Noah could only make out the sentence 'come out to the forest' and nothing more. He hesitated, wondering if maybe this note was not even meant for him.

In the end though, Noah figured it wouldn't be there in the first place if it were meant for someone else. He went back upstairs to put on a hoody, before going downstairs again, leaving the house through the backdoor.

Had HABIT told him to stay in the house? He didn't remember. He walked slowly into the forest, unarmed.

He was thinking in the back of his mind, that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. This wasn't like HABIT to have him go unarmed and alone, was it? Noah then scoffed to himself. He hardly knew HABIT at all.

For all he knew, this could be HABITs signature style of meeting up with someone!

Noah walked faster, heading farther into the woods. Soon HABITs house couldn't be seen. All he could see were the vast arrays of trees, stretching into the sky like giants. The sky was cloudy and dim, while wind rustled slightly. Noah shivered uncomfortably. Something didn't seem right.

Noah suddenly came into a clearing, in the middle of the woods. He stopped to look around, shifting uncomfortably. There was no grass in the middle of the clearing, just dry and rocky dirt, in the shape of a circle.

He carefully moved himself closer to the center of the clearing, hoping to see HABIT somewhere. But, as he came closer, he saw something in the dirt.

Dark scratches and claw marks he'd never seen before was traced into the dirt, and Noah knew for certain now that HABIT couldn't have been the one to have made these marks. It was a feeling in his gut that told him that this was no training session.

This was now true danger, that even HABIT hadn't planned. Noah figured this out, even though he didn't have much proof, but it was too late.

Far too late.

Noah didn't see it coming until he heard a low growling noise from behind him. Noahs head snapped up, his hair standing on end. When he looked behind him, he had to use every ounce of willpower to now scream in terror.

A creature he had seen in some of EverymanHYBRIDs videos, the one that had made him have horrible nightmares, was crawling close to him, it's sharp claws glistening as it's scarred, grey are hairless body twitched like a seizing dog. Noah stumbled back fearfully, wishing he at least had something to fight it with.

But Noah knew that didn't matter. The creature was too strong to be hurt by a simple human like him.

The creature drew nearer by the second, and Noah did the only thing he could. He ran.   
  


Noah had never run so incredibly fast in his life, but despite that, it still wasn't enough. The creature was far too fast, but just when it was about to grab Noahs leg, a strong arm grabbed Noah by the shirt collar.

Moments later, Noah was standing in the dining room area of HABITs house, as if he never left. HABIT had his grip tight around Noah, panting for air as his blue eyes pierced into Noah. Noah stared into HABITs eyes, and he winced when he saw that his eyes were filled with anger.

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU LEAVE?!" HABIT screamed, and Noah flinched. "T-there was a note on the table that told me to meet you in the forest!" Noah said defensively. HABITs angry eyes slowly turned skeptical, and he turned towards the table, seeing the aforementioned note laying exactly where it had been before. 

HABIT moves over to the note, picking it up and reading it. On the other side of the paper, Noah saw a crimson symbol hastily drawn on it. HABIT stared at the scribbly writing, confused, and Noah asked softly, "Habit, whats the symbol on the other side?"

HABIT turns the paper over, and instantly pales. Noah decides not to say a word, out of fear that he'd anger HABIT again.   
For a long few moments, HABIT didn't speak.

Finally, HABITs voice came out in a whisper.

"Go."

Noah blinked in confusion. "What do you mea-"

"I said GO!" Habit yelled, and Noah quickly went upstairs, shutting himself in his room. For a long while, Noah was in deep thought.

What was that symbol, and why did it scare HABIT so damn much? Sadly, Noah couldn't answer that question.

However, he was convinced that he'd find out. No matter what.

 

 


	5. Wander

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah explores the house and meets some new... "friends".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AGH! This chapter is not only 2 years late; it's also very long, and possibly choppy. I'll come back and fix mistakes later, if there are any. Hopefully I can get back to updating frequently.
> 
> (Can you tell I'm 2 years older than I was when I wrote chapter 1-4?)

When Noah woke up this time, he didn’t find the ceiling fan spinning above him so surprising anymore.

He found himself staring at the swirling blades for what felt like hours, before sleepily blinking and rising from his bed. No eerie silence greeted him this time, quenching his fear of being alone once again.

After seeing cold, black and dead eyes stare at him in the woods, after hearing it _growl_ and watching it twitch as it pursued him, it was like it was all he could see in his head now. Even though he could clearly hear Habit downstairs, he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Even as he began to walk downstairs, it was as if eyes were on him in every direction, unblinking and wide. These weren’t even the humanoid figures he felt like were normally watching him; no, that thing was, mentally and physically, a monster. The Collective seemed like child’s play in comparison.

He’s quickly snapped out of his thoughts by Habit, who was waving his hand in front of his face.  
“Earth to Noah Maxwell.” He commented, and Noah blinked, looking around and realizing he had stopped halfway down the stairs, and had been staring at the wall.

“I….” Noah started, looking back to Habit. “Sorry.”

Habit only grinned, but it seemed to have a touch of remorse in it, as if he knew what Noah was thinking about. He walked back down the rest of the steps, seemingly waiting for him to follow.

It was at this moment Noah noticed there was food cooking, and it was very potent across the house. Had he really been paying so little attention as to not notice? He brushed it off for now, instead choosing to follow. He hadn’t realized how hungry he had been.

Habit motioned for him to sit down at the table, and Noah did as he was told, albeit hesitant. Who knows what this guy could be putting in him through his food. For all he knows, the meat he smells could be human.

Habit seemed to notice, and as he plated their food he said, “You know, Noah, I wouldn’t want to make my assistant get sick.”

Noah blinked, looking over to him in confusion, so Habit continued.  
“I need you alive, Noah. It’s not like I’m going to feed you poison.”

“But what if that meat is…” Noah started, before trailing off. Habit sighed.

“Noah, if I had human meat, first of all, you wouldn’t notice. Second, you would get sick later, and third, why would I give it to you? I’d want to save it for myself.”

Noah turned slightly pale, watching a sadistic grin form on Habit’s lips as he winked. Noah looked back down at the table, closing his eyes and getting a grip on his emotions again. He was _fine_. Habit wasn’t going to _hurt_ him.

When Habit finally sets his plate down, though, all those fears melted away. It looked _amazing,_ especially considering he had been used to instant ramen and 2-dollar pizza for the last few years now. A small part of him knew Habit was aware of that.

Shakily, he grabbed his fork and started to cut up the meat, all the while practically trembling. He had zoned out Habit’s presence, mostly just thinking about eating. He didn’t even like meat, but… Food was food.

When he finally gets to eating, he’s slow. Despite this, however, he seemed to really enjoy it, similarly to last time. Maybe his skeleton of a body could actually gain mass beyond that of a feather under Habit’s roof.

But by the time he’s done, he noticed that Habit had already finished and washed his plate. An embarrassed blush crept up his face, and he subconsciously wiped his cheek before getting up, washing his plate, and putting it away.

Habit was nowhere to be seen again, and Noah sighed gently, looking around. He might as well explore the place, while he could.

 

The first room he entered was Habit’s room- right next to his own. It looked surprisingly normal for, well, _Habit’s_ room, if he’s honest. The room was colored a light purple at the walls, and the bed was very messy, but other than that, it seemed… generic.

He did notice the locked dresser, though, and wondered what was inside.  
Walking inside his room cautiously, he tugged at it, and, as expected, it didn’t budge. Nothing else in the room seemed interesting, so he retreated out, shutting the door behind him as if he never arrived.

The next room, back downstairs, looked like some sort of library. It didn’t have too many books, but it was enough to interest him anyways.   
Coming closer, he saw what looked like plenty of nonfiction books, along with a few unmarked ones. Hell, even some popular fantasy books were weaved into the small shelves. Later, when Habit came back, he’d ask if he could borrow some.  
Normally, since he was staying here anyways, he’d just take one, but with Habit, things were different. He kept the door open this time when he left, since it hadn’t been closed before.

He swiftly left this time, even though the room seemed to beckon him.

Finally, he returned to the kitchen, and looked around. There were plenty of knives by the sink, and the cabinets all seemed mostly empty except for some plates and bowls.

Well, except for one.

One cabinet was locked tightly, with a thick padlock clasped around the handles. Curiously, he looked up at it, hoping nothing… unexpected, was in there.

Moments later, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Whipping around, he saw Habit grinning at him passively.

“Enjoy the self-guided tour?” Habit mused curiously, and Noah slowly let it sink in that Habit had been watching him the entire time.  
“Uh… Yeah. It’s a nice house.” Noah muttered in embarrassment. “Anyways… Um… What’s in that cabinet?”

Habit hesitated, staring Noah down with a sudden iciness that burned into him. But it didn’t seem angry. Maybe protective at the most.  
“Alcohol.” Habit finally said, his voice snapping with such sharpness it made Noah flinch.

Noah looked back at the cabinet. “Oh.” He said, almost silent, and he could feel Habits grip tighten just a little. Habit, clearly, did not want him going anywhere near that cabinet.

For a long time, Noah was silent, before he heard Habit sigh from beside him.

“Let’s go, Noah.” He said suddenly, making Noah turn to him.

“Go where?”

Before Habit bothered answering, he’s practically dragging Noah out the door and through the forest, with no clear plan of stopping. He wasn’t even on a path, weaving through trees, grass, and bushes. Noah used his arms to shield his face, so nothing got in his eyes.

Finally, Habit came to an abrupt stop, letting go of Noah and watching silently as he fell. Noah grunted, glaring up at Habit before standing back up and looking around.

There were many people in the area, all hooded with dark clothes. Most of them had masks, with rabbit ears either sticking out or hanging passively by their heads.

Noah gaped. _Rabbits._

He never expected Habit to have followers, especially ones like _this,_ but as soon as he looked at them, he could tell Habit was their leader. From the way they dressed to the way they reacted to their arrival.

Immediately, all of the rabbits scurried into neat lines, getting on their knees and pressing their heads to the earth, bowing down to Habit silently. Only one stayed standing; a woman, with a mask pressed across her whole face. The mask was a pale white, with gaping eyes, an X painted across her mouth, and small little marks at her cheeks. Two ears stuck up through the hoody, yet one was broken off around the midway point.

She approached, casually as if this was nothing new. “Good evening.”

“Evening, Hearsay.” Habit replied. “I have someone for you to meet.”

Hearsay turned to Noah, glancing at him up and down as Habit introduced them.

“Hearsay, this is Noah. Noah, Hearsay.” Habit said, using his hand to point at whoever he was mentioning.

“Noah here Is my new assistant.” Habit said, shrugging as an arm slung around Noah’s shoulder, making him twitch in surprise.

“Ah. Hello, Noah.” Hearsay muttered with a curt nod, before turning back to Habit.  “What shall we do with him?”

“Just get him walking around, have him meet a few people, y’know. The usual and all that!” Habit said, chipper as he let his arm go back to his side, before using it to push him closer to Hearsay.

“You kids have fun while I take care of something for a few hours.”

“But where are y-“

Before Noah could finish, Habit was gone, just like that.

Noah spun around in a circle, but there was only Hearsay and the others. He could hear Hearsay chuckling under her breath, as if this was nothing new. He turned to face her, trying not to look frustrated, and sighed.

“He does that to everyone.” Hearsay said, watching as Noah slowly relaxed. Noah held back a stubborn huff, instead staying silent as he looked around.

Hearsay was quiet, but Noah knew she was watching him. He didn’t want to be here, and he didn’t know what Habit meant by ‘having fun’, either. But Habit already said it himself: He wouldn’t kill his new puppet.

But that didn’t necessarily mean Habit wouldn’t hurt him.

Cringing at the thought, he turned back to the lanky woman in front of him, noticing that her gaze hasn’t changed one bit.

Quickly, Noah stood himself up. “So.” He started. “What… Uh, what are we gonna do?”

Hearsay didn’t reply, choosing instead to turn around and motion for him to follow. Her pace was rather quick compared to his, almost power walking through the forest clearing. Noah jogged to keep up, probably making a fool of himself all the while.

When Hearsay comes to a stop, Noah stood at her side as two rabbits bickered in front of them. One seemed tall and stocky, while the other was short and skinny. Both had unique marks on their face, but Noah saw one of them had only a half mask; something he hadn’t seen yet. He wondered to himself what it meant.

“I told you, slacking will get you nowhere.” The short one said, their voice surprisingly harsh. The taller one only seemed amused. “I’m not slackin’, boss! I’m just taking my time-“

Suddenly, both turned to look at Noah and Hearsay, who they only just seemed to realize were there. The shorter rabbit quickly cleared their throat, as the taller looked away meekly.

Hearsay opened her palm to the two. “This is Trauma and Heathen. Trauma might seem unintimidating for his size, but I’m warning you not to fuck with him for your own good.”

Trauma, the shorter one, nodded curtly, while Heathen only chuckled under their breath. Noah gulped, forcing a smile.

 _‘As if I’d try in the first place.’_ Noah thought to himself bitterly, crossing his arms.

“You’re probably going to meet a few others today, but consider us to be the best you’ve got.” Heathen suddenly piped up cheerfully, holding his hand out. Cautiously, Noah shook his hand, but he seemed to relax when Heathen didn’t do anything creepy. He seemed to be the most normal one here, and the fact that Noah could clearly see his beaming smile only made it better.

“Heathen.” Trauma scolded. “This isn’t a club meeting. This is _training._ ”

“Training?” Noah asked, cutting Trauma off. “Did Habit just drop me off here so you guys could do it for him?”

Trauma shook his head. “No. I doubt you’ll come here often. He just needed to get you a ‘babysitter’ for the time being.” He said dismissively, keeping his cold blue eyes locked on Noah.

The seriousness Trauma displayed was nothing short of terrifying, making Noah’s skin crawl. Even he knew better than to talk back, not even considering the thought. Instead, he stayed uncomfortably still, watching the three rabbits stare at him with noticeably different attitudes.

Not knowing how to start up a conversation, Noah asked casually, “Erm… Why’s Heathen got a half mask?”

“In training.” Hearsay murmured to Noah quietly. “He’s not quite at our level yet. Trauma is still teaching him how to fight.”

“Oh.” Noah said. “So… there’s ranks?”

Hearsay shrugged in response. “I suppose. Nothing to write home about, though.”

Noah didn’t respond to that one, choosing instead to think to himself.

What was his purpose if he had tons of minions running around doing his dirty work? What did they even _do_ for him in the first place? He didn’t know. Instead of asking the strange rabbits themselves, he’d probably just ask Habit later, when he saw him again.

“What do I do now?” Noah questioned, and Trauma blinked, for what must have been the first time since meeting him.

“Don’t leave our sight. You can sit and talk to Heathen, if you’d like.” Trauma offered, motioning to the now sitting rabbit over by a tree. Noah slowly approached, nervous despite the rabbits’ friendliness.

Heathen perked up once he saw him. “Hey, bud! Sit on down!”

He patted a spot next to him, and Noah sat down.

For a few moments, they were silent, before Noah sighed, leaning his head back. “What… Does this all mean?”

“I dunno, man.” Heathen replied casually. “Some people say Habit wants to make you into his weird servant.”

“Isn’t that what I am now?” Noah said, and Heathen laughed, suddenly turning icy.

“Noah.. If you think you have it bad now, you _better_ start praying. You have your free will, for now. Try not to let it get taken away by whatever power he offers you. You’ll lose your humanity along the way.”

Noah's blood turned to ice. " _What?_ " He asked, voice sharp and nervous.

But Heathen only laughed, as if he told a really good joke.


End file.
